Sometimes, Wen Wanning is impressed by her own mental fortitude.
When encountering such a heart-stopping event, her first reaction was actually to brush aside Ruan Jia's excited hands and calmly tap on that yellow-verified avatar.
She still held onto a fantasy in her heart, thinking that perhaps the kid had evolved from a cold-faced, arrogant guy into a social butterfly over the years, and that this repost was just a polite gesture for the sake of appearances, something everyone gets a share of.
The interface buffered for a full few minutes before loading, and Ling Ye's Weibo homepage was shockingly clean.
Scrolling down twice, apart from his own official announcement, everything before that was just live footage from the paddock of the previous season.
The background was the rather impersonal Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team logo, the avatar was his official race photo, there were no pinned posts, and beneath a handsome face with an imposing aura, there was simply the word "Older Sister".
Wen Wanning felt her vision go black.
She looked up at the ceiling for a good while before asking, "Are the remaining photos being released tonight as well?"
The remaining photos were, of course, the photo opportunity of her and Ling Ye.
The official announcement for the final guest had concluded, and according to the conventions of the previous seasons of the show, the group photo would be released as well.
"Actually, they've already been released," Ruan Jia swallowed, not daring to provoke her, "Just during those few minutes you were stuck."
"I heard the phone signal at the fruit farm isn't great, Teacher Wen, you should hurry up and change it."
The program group, loving the drama, released a nine-grid collage of all the guests.
With the popularity of the #Ling Ye Older Sister# hashtag in the lead, the other guest groups were basically just their own fans having a team building session, while the passersby watching the show all gathered on her post, creating a scene that could only be described as chaotic.
【...This forced pairing is outrageous, even a passing ant would ask if the planner has gone crazy】
【What older sister, what older sister, what older sister! This is very important to me!】
【How much money did the program group spend? Tell me so I can see for myself. I actually got to see Ling Ye acting spoiled in my lifetime, save me】
【Laughing to death, guessed for a long time whether Wen Jie was clinging to the top streamer or Xiao Wei this time, but it turns out Wen Jie privately hooked up with a big shot sugar daddy, directly taking a step to the moon by bundling with Ling Ye】
【Don't talk nonsense if you don't know, thank you. If you want to bribe Ling Ye to farm CP, you might as well go bribe Spider-Man】
【Although, what if it's a real older sister? Did you anti-fans check their family tree?】
Ling Ye's itinerary over the past few years had been extremely pure; apart from practicing driving, it was just racing.
Occasionally, he would do some business for sponsor activities, but once it was time to get off work, he would leave more eagerly than anyone else, never having proactively interacted with any women in the entertainment industry.
This time, he participated in a reality show without any warning and showed favor to a female celebrity so directly that Ling Ye's fans didn't know how to react for a moment, and overall, they remained cautious—
They had signed a contract with the program group, so they had to post on Weibo, but given the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team's usual high-and-mighty elite habits, and since this wasn't a primary school student paying a New Year's visit, no one was holding a knife to Ling Ye's throat forcing him to call her older sister.
No one knew what he was thinking in private, but Ling Ye's dozen or so major fan support stations and fan clubs immediately stepped in to control the comments, maintaining order very well.
She had prepared to be bloodied, but because the top streamer's image was too clean, she was indirectly protected by his fans.
Wen Wanning sighed with emotion, and a very subtle sense of relief, like a good son repaying a debt, welled up in her heart.
In the entertainment industry, showing kindness can lead to being backstabbed.
But the son she picked up with her own hands was still reliable, descending from the sky to take in a heartbroken old mother.
She scrolled down hastily, and among the orderly controlled comments, she caught a few abrupt remarks from passersby:
【Two people who have absolutely nothing to do with each other, yet two faces that are so well-matched】
【Wuwuwu, what kind of younger man CP holy body is our little stepmother? I think every younger brother looks good now. It's just three, why doesn't older sister just take them all】
【Who understands the cool guy calling her older sister? I can imagine 100k+ spicy fanfiction from just five words. A passerby happily eating a meal of older sister and younger man, I feel refreshed】
【Passing the pen to the person above, please go ahead, ma'am】
……
Having been scolded too harshly in previous years, Wen Wanning was used to not going online unless necessary, living a life like an elderly person.
She stared at the screen and thought for a good while before turning her head to ask, "What does 'just three' mean?"
Her eyes were too clear, making Ruan Jia feel inexplicably guilty, and it took a long time for her to squeeze out an answer.
"In short... it's not scolding you."
Early the next morning, Zhou Fu's phone call and the express delivery arrived almost at the same time.
Ruan Jia took a heavy large box from the doorway and unpacked it to show Wen Wanning, "Teacher Wen, is this the sunscreen you bought last minute?"
The program group's chartered plane was leaving in the afternoon, and she had to take Wen Wanning to the airport, so she had specially stayed behind last night.
She had checked the luggage several times, and logically speaking, nothing should be missing.
The phone on the table was on speaker, and Zhou Fu's voice came through, her tone high-spirited, "Several new sponsors came to talk last night, these are endorsements added at the last minute."
Wen Wanning thought to herself, no wonder.
With the popularity from last night, if it were any other time, Zhou Fu would have definitely called immediately to give instructions instead of letting her and Ruan Jia just let things run wild.
There were a lot of things in the box, from spray to sunscreen; it was an organic brand that focused on the high-end market in the country, with a philosophy of being earth-friendly and not harming marine life when entering the water, and it had always had a high level of discussion.
"It's already been coordinated. It's fine that we didn't have time to shoot the promotional materials; we'll make up for it when you come back for New Year's Eve."
Zhou Fu sounded very happy, "The brand's tone this time fits you very well, seize the opportunity."
"They chose me?"
Wen Wanning was still a bit dazed.
Although #Ling Ye Wen Wanning# had landed at the top of the trending search list with astonishing views, making people think at first glance that they had gone public.
But a CP without follow-up is like a pile of loose sand that scatters after two steps; no matter how cheap her endorsement fee was, it wouldn't be worth it to waste it like this.
Zhou Fu: "Their PR team hopes that you and Ling Ye can make use of it when you interact on the show."
"The sooner the better, preferably with the brand appearing in the first episode."
After a pause, she made a concession, "Considering Ling Ye's personality, if he is truly unwilling to cooperate, Xiao Wei will do too."
"……"
If the other side dared to suggest it, Zhou Fu dared to agree.
Wen Wanning was shocked by her manager's imagination and courage.
"How are we supposed to interact with sunscreen," she sighed, "Should I touch him and ask, 'Younger brother, can you rub my back for me?'"
"Why not?" Zhou Fu said in a relaxed tone, "Teacher Zhong already told me that you and he are so close, so don't be soft-handed if you can use it."
"Get your mindset right; we are on the show to do business. Whoever lets go of a huge amount of popularity is a fool."
She comforted her a bit more, "Don't worry about those professional anti-fans. Teacher Zhong recommended a very reliable lawyer to me. If those people from Jiayue buy more smear posts against you, I'll hit one for every one I see. No one can stop you from hugging a big thigh."
Ruan Jia was silently squatting on the side opening the box, and hearing this, she leaned over to stir the pot, "Which younger brother's thigh?"
"Of course both of them," Zhou Fu said without hesitation, "Hug whichever one you can. With your current status as Teacher Wen, does she have a choice?"
Wen Wanning lay flat on the sofa, playing dead.
"You guys go crazy far away, don't drag me into it."
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